Rahul for actionable party programmes

Rahul Gandhi’s idea is that the “efficacy of processes” towards strengthening the Congress party’s organisational structure and translating policy guidelines into actionable programmes should be ensured.

At the first meeting of the party’s newly created ‘Group on Future Challenges’ on Thursday, Rahul is understood to have stressed on the need for ensuring the robustness of the Congress organisation.

Besides Rahul, the members of the group include Veerappa Moily, Digvijay Singh, Vyalar Ravi, Anand Sharma, Prithviraj Chavan, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot. Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh is the group’s convener.

Broad discussions in the meeting centered on the need to ensure that the party’s achievements and strengths percolate to the grassroots level through effective projections of the UPA government’s programmes and policies – particularly those aimed to benefit the common man, party sources said.

The next meeting of the group is expected to be scheduled after a week, when issues will be short-listed and a process of deliverables worked out, party sources indicated. Realigning the coalition arrangement might be an issue at the next meeting of the 13-member group.

Thursday’s meeting was informal and social, political and economic issues were discussed, said senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily, who chaired the meeting.